Ben Spies Out for Phillip Island

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Ben Spies crashed during the race at Sepang and later medical examination revealed injuries that will force him to sit out the next round at Phillip Island.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies crashed early during the recent MotoGP race at Sepang and initial examinations by the trackside medical center determined there were no serious injuries to the American rider. Further tests revealed a different story and now Spies is on his way back to the States to receive treatment for an AC shoulder separation, a cracked rib in the upper chest and bruising to his lung. He will miss the upcoming round at Phillip Island in Australia due to the injuries and it remains to be seen whether he will be well enough to contest the final race at Valencia. Spies issued a statement earlier about the news.

“I’m lost for words,” said Spies. “We’ve had such a tough season with an unbelievable amount of bad luck. We have always gone out there to give it 100% and it was the intention of both myself and my team to continue to do so at Phillip Island.

“I took a really hard knock on Sunday and it’s now clear from today’s tests that I have some injuries that require immediate attention.

“It’s disappointing to be heading back to the USA now instead of to Phillip Island but it’s obviously important to get the right treatment as soon as possible.

“I’m sorry for my team and thankful for all the hard work they and Yamaha have put in so far; our current situation is not where we should be”.

This is Spies’ final season with Yamaha Factory Racing before he makes the move to Pramac Ducati in 2013, teaming with Andrea Iannone who moves up from Moto 2. The Texan has had a season fraught with misfortune, suffering a number of crashes and dealing with a host of mechanical issues, but has been able to avoid injury up to this point. Yamaha has also announced that they will not appoint a rider to replace Spies in Australia due to time constraints.